Test2:...:Stash(3perl)

💖 Test2::Util::Stash — the perl manual, but make it cute 💖

okay so bestie, we're talking about Test2::Util::Stash from the 3perl section of the manual (Perl Programmers Reference Guide, no big deal, just iconic behavior). Sit down, grab a boba, because this one is actually so useful once it clicks 🧋✨

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🌸 NAME 🌸

Test2::Util::Stash — utilities for manipulating stashes and globs. Yeah. Stashes AND globs. The whole symbol-table situation. It's giving backstage pass to perl's internals 💅

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So basically this module is a whole little collection of utilities for manipulating and inspecting package stashes and globs. That's it, that's the vibe. It's the toolbox you reach for when you need to poke at a package's symbol table and you don't wanna hand-roll *{...} derefs like some kind of feral gremlin 😭

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✨ EXPORTS ✨

Every single one of these, listed, no skipping, we don't do that here 🫶

• $stash = get_stash($package) — grabs the package stash for you. This is literally the same thing as writing $stash = \%Package::Name::. Same energy, less typing.
• $sym_spec = parse_symbol($symbol)
• $sym_spec = parse_symbol($symbol, $package) — parses a symbol name and hands you back a hashref stuffed with info about that symbol. 🎀

Now listen, $symbol can be a simple name or a fully qualified symbol name. The sigil is optional, and if you don't give one, & is just assumed. And heads up — if $symbol is fully qualified and you also passed $package, then the symbol's package must match the $package you gave it. No mismatches allowed, it will not let that slide.

You get back a structure like this:

return {
    name    => 'BAZ',
    sigil   => '$',
    type    => 'SCALAR',
    symbol  => '&Foo::Bar::BAZ',
    package => 'Foo::Bar',
};

(yes that's the exact structure, don't come for me, I'm just the messenger 💀)

• $glob_ref = get_glob($symbol)
• $glob_ref = get_glob($symbol, $package) — gives you a glob ref. The arguments are the same as for parse_symbol, so same rules, same vibes.
• $ref = get_symbol($symbol)
• $ref = get_symbol($symbol, $package) — gives you a reference to the symbol. Again, arguments are the same as for parse_symbol. Consistency queen 👑
• $ref = purge_symbol($symbol)
• $ref = purge_symbol($symbol, $package) — okay this one completely removes the symbol from the package symbol table. Gone. Deleted. Not coming back. Arguments are the same as for parse_symbol, and you get a reference to the removed symbol returned to you, like a little keepsake of what you just destroyed 🔥
• $sig = slot_to_sig($slot) — converts a slot (like 'SCALAR') into a sigil (like '$').
• $slot = sig_to_slot($sig) — converts a sigil (like '$') into a slot (like 'SCALAR'). It's the inverse, it's the mirror, it's the duality of perl 🌈

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📦 SOURCE 📦

The source code repository for Test2-Suite lives at:

https://github.com/Test-More/test-more/

Go look, it's right there, it's free 💜

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👑 MAINTAINERS 👑

• Chad Granum <exodist@cpan.org>

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🌟 AUTHORS 🌟

• Chad Granum <exodist@cpan.org>

(one person, double credit, main character energy fr fr)

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📜 COPYRIGHT 📜

Copyright Chad Granum <exodist@cpan.org>.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

See http://dev.perl.org/licenses/

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and that's the whole page bestie, you ate it, every last option and function accounted for, no cap 💅✨

this was Test2:...:Stash(3perl) from perl v5.44.0, dated 2026-10-17 — mwah, see you in the next manpage 🎀💖